Moto Coco's Motorcycle Adventures

Texoma group ride

2011-05-18T11:50:00.000-07:00

We did a group ride with Maxim Honda (Allen TX) this weekend. We rode up to Oklahoma for catfish, and a glancing view of lake Texoma. Gorgeous weather... 70 degrees, light winds, perfect for a 200 mile day.

One Goldwing in our group had a flat tire. Luckily he was prepared with a patch kit and a small electric pump.

Watsonburger!

2011-03-23T07:47:00.001-07:00

This past Sunday was some amazing nice temperatures
so luckily a nice ride in the North Texas country roads was on offer. We took alot of nice FM backroads and found ourselves in Sherman Texas around lunch time. Check out Watsonburger, right on US-75. With a few locations in far North Texas and Oklahoma, they serve up good burgers, fries and shakes.

Wind was extremely strong from the south, which created heavy cross winds and sore necks!

Trip odometer: 160 miles

Mardi Gras weekend destination

2011-03-07T07:55:00.000-08:00

Sunday - Awesome weather. Hopped on the bicycle and did a 25 mile fitness ride, then hopped the F4i and did a great back roads route (80 miles) up to Dennison's "Loose Wheels Texas", a moto mecca. This place was much larger, and cooler than I had imagined. I thought it was going to be another back water BBQ joint hang out, but Noooo, it had 2 band stands, acres of outdoor patios, bar service galore, a wild game cook-off contest in progress, live music (at 3pm on Sunday no less), and... well you get the picture. A veritable Texas Roadhouse that put the XXXL in Texas.

Put it on your list. You'll thank me. Note the humongous windmill / aerospace ceiling fan apparatus. There's two of those bad boys indoors and they have a span of about 20 ft each. Impressive.

Wacky Weather

2011-02-04T11:46:00.000-08:00

After not being on the motorcycle for a while, and the bicycle not as much as I would like, we had a streak of GORGEOUS weather last weekend. 75 degrees on Saturday ... a 40 mile bicycle ride down to the Bishop Arts District for lunch.

Very cool bike shop there: http://ocbicycleco.com/

Stop in and check out their selection of retro redux.

It was great ride and a beautiful day.

Sunday was in the mid-50's great for a motorcycle ride to Edom for lunch. 240 miles of fun and good riding. You never know what you will see in East TX.

Then by Tuesday of this week, we were hit by a major winter storm... Snowmageddon II, Icepocolypse... you get the picture. After 4 days of school being closed all parents are ready to eat their young, all workers are climbing the walls, and our electric provider has been providing rolling black outs.

But only last weekend . . .

Epic Ride - dodging rainstorms and tornadoes

2010-10-26T15:35:00.000-07:00

This weekend we needed to go to the Houston area to visit friends and family. What is normally a 250 mile freeway ride, we stretched into a 308 mile first day. We headed down I-45, then exiting near Corsicanna to head west to Waco. I wanted to stop by Baylor to see the Homecoming parade. We got there during some light rain... no big deal. Since it looked like more rain was coming, we skipped out of further homecoming events and headed south along highway 6 to College Station. Harvey Washbanger's has the best burgers anywhere, so we made that a late lunch and rest stop. (It's a great college establishment-- a laundromat and burger bar. Inside the bar is a panel of lights that flash when your washer is done.)

We got into Houston without a fuss, and found out later that Waco got some pretty heavy rains that delayed the football game... a 5 hour game I found out later from friends.

The more interesting story was the ride back home. We had left the Houston area around 3pm and were retracing our route back up the highway 6 way, and made a stop in a tiny town Calvert after we turned on Hwy 14 toward Mexia. We were in a DQ taking a break... an unusually long break because there was a large amount of customers for a Sunday afternoon in a small town... it turns out later I was glad the break was long... as we left a friendly stranger approached us and gave us an FYI on the weather. It turned out that some severe weather was developing in the area. As I turned to leave, I noticed he wore an unusual ball cap with a scripture reference. Somehow this kind man stood out in my mind.

As we rode up Hwy 14 toward Mexia, we reached Groesbeck (only 30 miles from the Calvert DQ). As we were riding throught the town, the civil defense sirens went off. We pulled off into a Valero run by two Sikhs, who had a big assortment of hookahs for sale. (Hey, at least if we get stuck here, it seems like an interesting place I thought.) We found out from the weather service (thank you iPhone) that tornadoes had been spotted about 10 miles south of where we had just riden. Jim voted to hop back on the motorcycle and continue north thinking we could outride the tornadoes that were coming. So we sped off north still heading toward Mexia.

The most powerful image on the ride for me was riding north on Hwy 14, under the huge Texas sky, seeing enormous powerful beautiful clouds, watching wicked thunderbolts on my left side, and seeing a beautiful rainbow on my right. It was a neat experience that couldn't be captured by a picture even if I tried.

We finally go to the I-45 junction just south of Corsicanna. By then it was around 6pm, but the sky was very dark and there was some rainfall. I needed to take a break to at least put the liner in my jacket, so we exited and stopped at a Chili's restarant. We noticed lots of law enforcement around. Also lots of the Chili's customers were out on the front walk all looking south. I asked them what was up and they said tornadoes were in the area. When we got inside the restaurant, the manager quickly went around and got the customers and servers to go to the kitchen. He wanted us to get inside the walkin refridgerator, but it was too cold for most folks, especially the familys with small kids. The "all clear" came pretty quickly, so we sat in the bar briefly trying to determine our next steps. Oddly, the TVs in the bar were not tuned to the news or weather. So we had no idea where the tornadoes were or the fact that a major tornado had just hit Rice Texas (a few miles north) a short while before.

The rain had stopped and the roads were relatively dry, so we hopped back on the bikes and continued north on I-45. When we got to Rice, the interstate was backed up for a few miles. Law enforcement from several areas were all over the place, and the interstate entrances were closed for several miles. At that point I still didn't know that a tornado had been through, much less that it had crossed the interstate and caused several accidents. (I just thought it was a garden variety traffic accident.)

When we finally got home (6 hours, which should have been 4), we flipped on TV and saw the bigger story.

Click here to see what I'm talking about: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39827601/ns/weather/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfHnGw_1Gl8

Oh yeah, total mileage for the two days was around 625.

Go Fast Socks.

2010-10-13T15:33:00.000-07:00

Matching socks were graciously supplied prior to the tour from one of the blog readers. (You know who you are!)

Of course when I tried to feature them in this pic, others had to try to one-up me with their hosiery. Passers by were quite amused indeed.

Family Album ... Mideval Style

2010-10-13T15:27:00.000-07:00

Found inside a church in Orvietto, this classic freco shows a typical family conflict.

"Hey you just murdered Dad!" (see detail of man in bed)

"I thought I was doing you a favor..."

[Divorce ensues and the Ex has his face scratched out of the family album...]

See how little customs change?

Never Lost . . .

2010-10-13T15:25:00.001-07:00

No need for expensive navagation systems... directional signage is always at hand.

Riding through a Post Card

2010-10-13T15:07:00.000-07:00

Yes, the itinerary was beautiful. You really can't capture it with a Canon Sure-Shot, but here goes...
SAN GIMIGNANO

MONTALCINO LOOP RIDE

VIEW FROM CORTONA

Gears and Gear

2010-10-13T07:27:00.000-07:00

Ok, so a frequently asked question from my readers: "Do you take your bike to Italy?". Yes, we do. When you do a multi-day tour, you really want your own gear, although you could use a rental.

We use bikes (both tandem and singles) that have frames that come apart and pack into suitcases for the airline. Here's a few pics to give you the idea. We usually assemble / disassemble them in a courtyard in the hotel.

ALL DONE AND STORED AT A HOTEL COURTYARD

All you need to know about Tuscan Vino.

2010-10-08T04:56:00.001-07:00

When in town, if you see an establishment named "Enoteca", pull over and go in.

The Black "Rooster"

Designates wines from the Chianti region. Sangiovese varietal. Drink now.

If cycling through Tuscany or Umbria and you see a winery open, pull over immediately for a tasting. Drink now or through 2012.

If the vintner gives you generous pours, takes you on a personal tour of the cellar, and plys you with tons of bruschetta, remember that shipping and duty are more than the cost of the bottle. Drink now.

The Brunello region in Montalcino has nearly 200 producers. Don't try to visit them all by bike, unless you are staying for the season.

Siena Block Party!

2010-10-02T12:20:00.000-07:00

Who doesn't love Siena? Better yet, who doesn't love Siena at night? I love the rivalry and pride in each of the 17 traditional neighborhoods. Love it when they parade and fly their colors. We happened upon this large block party in the middle of a piazza while we were there wandering.

Maybe They're Too Wired?

2010-10-02T12:14:00.001-07:00

Seriously... we are supposed to be on vacation... but seriously...

Bici in Italia '- Montalcino

2010-10-02T11:39:00.000-07:00

Well so many of my readers have asked about the bicycle trip in Italy, so here goes... a diversion from motorcycling, but here it is:

VIEW FROM MY HOTEL ROOM

Currently we are 2 nights in Montalcino the epicenter of Brunello wines! All week long has been Sangiovese (mostly Chianti, as we have ridden from Greve to a convento, then to Sienna, now here..) The wine and food is of course fantastic!

JIM ENJOYS A SNACK

MONASTERY ALONG TODAY'S ROUTE ... MEL GOT HER CHANT ON ...

Today we did a loop ride from town of around 50 Km with quite a bit of climbing. It was truly one of the best rides I have ever done. There were several interesting excursion points including a monastery and an ancient hot spring from the Etruscan era. One of the descents from atop the summit ridge was truly memorable with spectacular views as you hair-pinned down the mountain.

ETRUSCAN HOT SPRING

Jim and Melody at Etruscan Hot Spring

WINE TASTING

This evening featured a wine tasting at the fortress in town, then a spectacular sunset viewed from atop the fort walls.

SUNSET IN MONTALCINO

Today definitely did not suck!

Labor Day Lost Weekend

2010-09-07T07:57:00.000-07:00

Destination - Glen Rose, TX via anywhere and every where. As you can see from the route map, we didnt' exactly take the most direct road. :-)

We left on Sunday after church and Saturday's bicycle ride, yard work and errands. Still on Sunday we managed 250 miles of meandering down to Glen Rose. We'd been to Glen Rose several times on bicycle trips, and explored the edges of the area bit on our motorcycle trip to Fredericksburg a few months earlier.

If you go the direct route from NE DFW down to Glen Rose, you're in for 90 min of freeway, and really a terrible ride. So we opted for a route that arced to the NW, then headed south. We took FM 455 out of town, one of our favorites over to the Montague county area, stopping at a great general store in Forestburg.

Highlight of Sunday was definitely FM 4 south out of Palo Pinto towards Grandbury. Some fairly technical twisty turns and a gorgeous elevation drop with great views of the valley below. Although we were passing through that area around 5 in the afternoon, we ran into a gaggle of cyclists that were heading northbound up the long climb.

We go into Glen Rose by 7pm still with plenty of daylight, and found the town (not surprisingly) clsoed up. Our favorite pub The Green Pickle, was closed on Sundays. So was our favorite restraunt. The hotel we chose The Glen Hotel, more than made up for those small disappointments. It's a beautifully restored hotel right off of the square. Hands down the cleanest place I've ever stayed. (And those of you who know me know I've spent easily 1,000 days in hotels over the years.) I would definitely recommend this hotel, so go book it here: http://glenhoteltexas.com/ The proprietor's are more than friendly and helpful. After a forgettable Italian meal in town, we took a mixed six pack of Shiner on the hotel terrace and reviewed the day's sights.

On Monday, we headed out north to Lipan, Tolar, exploring a bit at Palo Pinto lake and causeway, and eventually up to Possum Kingdom. I had always heard about PK, but was skeptical to go visit an soverienty ruled by large rodents. Actually PK is a lake formed by damming the Brazos river. It's gorgeous. Picture is of me on the observation point on the top of the dam. Here's a photo gallery with professional pictures if you are thinking of visiting PK (recommended): http://www.landatpklaketx.com/gallery.html

Lunch was near there at the Krooked Horn BBQ, just a bit north on FM 2353. It seemed to be a newer place, and the food was great. The picture of their naming mascot was quite appropriate.

We lounged on home stopping in Chico for a quick hydration break, then back to the metro mess. Second day's miles: 281

Total for the two day quick trip: 532 miles

Caddo Grasslands Loop

2010-07-01T12:59:00.000-07:00

Got up before 6am on Sunday to beat the heat and do a route in North Texas.

Jim composed this route which went through the Caddo Grasslands.

It was scenic, rolling hills, North Texas beauty. I was surprised that there wasn't really any marking (signage) for this area, so really unless you knew it was a national grassland, you "wouldn't know". .. which is only a little odd because the area covers over 38,000 acres!

Here's a URL for the area: http://www.fs.fed.us/r8/texas/recreation/caddo_lbj/caddo-lbj_rec_opps.shtml

At any rate, we covered about 200 miles from Plano, TX that morning and had a great ride. Forestburg (near Muenster in Montague County) had a great general store. I had seen this many times during bicycle rides, but had never stopped. If you need a stop, it's great. Clean, well stocked, even has a deli making fresh food.

Forestburg was settled in the 1850's and as of the 2000 census has a population of 5o. (Maybe the new 2010 census will show some growth...) Anyway, you wouldn't normally think of stopping here, but it's a nice find if you need a respite.

After doing the Caddo Grasslands loop, we stopped in Denton on the square and had a good breakfast at Ruby's. Ruby's is a great diner. (Meaning I can get my standard 2 egg, hash brown, bacon/sausage, biscuit w/ gravy breakfast for under $5). There are other good eats (and drinks) on Denton's square, but if you are there a breakfast time, I would go with Ruby's.

This route is one I will definitely do again. If you would like Garmin mapping files, please give me a shout.

Trip to Fredericksburg - the Twisted Sisters

2010-06-04T10:12:00.000-07:00

Over the Memorial Day Holiday we rode down to Fredericksburg TX, the mecca for motorcycling in Texas (perhaps even the Southwest).

Weather was great, but turning hot. We rode down to from Dallas to Cleburne as fast as we could (boring highways) then wound around on Farm to Market (or Federation of Micronesia if you own a Garmin) roads over toward Glen Rose. Beautiful area that we had just ridden the weekend before on bicycles. FM2005 is a great little find from Hamilton to Goldwaithe. We picked up TX-16 and headed down to Fredericksburg. Although 16 is a state highway, it's really scenic and lightly traveled.

Overnighted in Fredericksburg, then the next day took on the fabled 3 Twisted Sisters, a series of FM roads near Leakey / Camp Wood that are technical and exhilarating. We even took in a local tourist phenomenon, the Stone Henge replica near Hunt.

Hunt also has an awesome camp store that has great food, and featured a good live band out of Austin while we were there. Lots of vacationers down on the river there.

That evening we rode over to the "bat cave" an old railroad tunnel that hosts a large colony of bats. It's now an official nature center, complete with a small viewing amplitheatre and a ranger on staff. We've never been there at the right season where the bats are there (the migrate to Mexico in the colder months). Even though they were there, their flight started at dusk, and it was too dark for me to spot them (although the ranger kept saying he could see them down the valley).

Monday we were eager to get back to Dallas before the afternoon got too hot, so we opted to go the most direct way back. We did stop over in Glen Rose for lunch at a bookshop / cafe that was great. It's in an old car dealership and adjacent to the local bicycle shop. If you are in the area, be sure to drop in. http://storiebookcafe.com/ They even have live music on most weekends.

Over all trip: 888.8 miles over 3 days, roughly 300 miles each day. Not for the faint hearted, and had we had more time off of work, I would definitely recommend stretching it over 4-5 days.

New Ride

2010-05-21T13:14:00.001-07:00

Well Dallas had an actual winter this year, but now we are into spring riding season. Introducing my new step-up bike - a gently used Honda CBR 600 F4i. The folks at Maxim Honda in Allen TX hooked me up with this nice ride. I've taken it out only a few times (bought it the first day of Spring, and Dallas got 8" of snow that day). Rode it to Muenster TX and then again to Denton (See courthouse shot). Planning a Memorial Day weekend ride down to Fredericksburg TX, so stay tuned.

Meanwhile the Vespa is scheduled to roll 12,000 miles this afternoon on the commute home. Need to buy a new oil filter. The Vespa has proven to be a really fun reliable commuter. It gets about 75 mpg as opposed to 22 in my sedan. That's a 53 mpg incremental savings... so in riding 12,000 miles I've saved 226 gallons of petrol. At an average price over the years of $2.75 / gallon... that's a whopping $625... not even enough for a down payment on a new Vespa. Oh well, the fun factor is still there.

:-)

Rainy Weekend = Moto Maintenance

2009-09-13T12:08:00.000-07:00

Well for those of you living in North Texas, you know that we broke out the canoes over the last few days for sure. No riding either via bicycle or motorcycle. Fortunately for me my partner the ace mechanic caught up on serveral motorcycle maintenance items: new tires for the Kawasaki, valve job for the Kawasaki (pictured) and repair of the steering on the Vespa. Yea!! I'm back on the road on two wheels... if it weren't for the forecast for rain into next week. :-(

Photo: well I guess I should stop asking for a naked bike... fortunately it all went back together and no bolts were extra at the end.

Of note: our next door neighbor a home brewer hosted a brew day yesterday. His 3 bay garage was converted into a microbrewery as the North Texas chapter of Home Brewers took over for about 8 hours. Those guys are great, and very generous with the samples of their handiwork I must say.

The Tron it is a Jumbo...

2009-09-04T12:04:00.000-07:00

Well one of my life long wishes has now been checked off as of last night... to see the new Cowboy's ostentatious gargantuan stadium...... FOR FREE. I had laid awake many nights wondering how much I would have to shell out for an event ticket in order to get my taste of Jerry Jone's latest tribute to himself. The tron is indeed jumbo, and during games 6 guys are up in there keeping it going. No kidding.

But as those of you who know me, I don't want to have to pay for it. At last the universe provided my chance. An invitation from a generous friend to attend a charity event benefiting the Warren Center. A great charity group that provides services for developmental delays.

My gf and I glommed on to a backstage tour of the facility to include the press box (pictured), the player's locker room, some VIP suite, etc. Turns out the Cowboys leave their locker room then run through a club bar at the playing field level to get out onto the playing field. Sort of weird, but then again how many of us cruise through a bar before doing battle? Hmmm... perhaps a survey is in our future dear readers.

The event was really cool, it's annual and growing. It's a Fantasy Football draft complete with buffet dinner, open bar, and silent auction. Keep an eye out for next year. Scott Murray hosted, and Tony Dorsett was the celeb in residence.

I now have my own fantasy football team, so now I'll be cool at work when folks bring this up (a first for me). I don't even remember who I drafted other than some dude named Houshmandzadeh. I'm not making this up. He's alledgedly a wide receiver from Seattle. I think he must have an extra wide jersey to get that name on there... not sure.

Cowboys Stadium Summary

Large Factor: *****

Opulent Factor: *

Jumbo Tron Factor: ****

Locker room wow factor: **

Locker room shower / urinal: *

Press Box: **

Outrageous Posted Food Pricing: ***********

Outrageous Posted Drink Pricing: **************

Place I'd least like to be during a natural disaster or national crisis: **************

Busted

2009-09-04T11:45:00.000-07:00

Well it had to happen sometime, I guess. My first Vespa repair*. When commuting last week I noticed the steering was a bit notchy. Thought it was my imagination (as it usually is) at first... but... turns out a bearing fixture in the steering failed. :-( As Boz would say "Danger there's a break down dead ahead". Bummer.

A call placed by my ace mechanic to our parts vendor MOTORSPORT SCOOTERS in San Diego had the offending part shipped to our house (arriving today, yea!!)... all for the low low price of $28.95. A lot to pay for that tiny ring of ball bearings, but not bad for 11,000+ miles.

* not to include normal scheduled maintenance: Oil and Filter, Tires. (I'm particulary hard on tires.)

Pie Run to Fairfield TX

2009-08-30T14:24:00.000-07:00

My husband suggested we go on a Pie Run that was being hosting by the Two Wheeled Texans. This is a monthly event where the group picks out a meet point, then anyone who wants to shows up. Locations generally are restaurants. This one was Sam's off of I-45 (between Dallas and Houston). We'd been to Sam's many times on the drive to Houston and indulged in their all-you-can-possibly-eat buffet and homemade pies. The food is actually pretty good.

We took a nice route down and meandered East of I-45, stopping in Gun Barrel City on Cedar Creek Lake. Very nice. This would make a nice day ride to go down, swim, get lunch, etc.

The crowd at Sam's in Fairfield was counted to be 114 bikes of all sorts. My bike was by far the smallest. And the coolest. Although my husband told some it was "gutless". My bike was offended.

Pic is outside the courthouse in Fairfield. Total miles this ride 308.

Best Cafe in East Texas

2009-08-23T15:25:00.000-07:00

Edom Texas is a small community near Tyler. We've ridden there by bicycle many times, and by motorcycle a few times too. There are several cafes, most notably "The Shed" and the Edom Bakery. The Shed hangs a banner that they were voted Best Cafe in East Texas by Texas Monthly and Texas Highways. Don't let them fool you. Eat at the Bakery. You'll thank me.

The Eagles ... not a tribute

2009-07-31T11:24:00.000-07:00

The hub and I went last night to the Dallas Arboretum to see "Fast Lane" in concert. They are a local tribute for The Eagles. Who doesn't like the Eagles? The weather was great... cooled off from recent rain, terrific sunset over the lake, lots of sailboats and kayaks coming to shore for the event, the picnic and wine were also terrific. BUT I'm sad to report the band stunk! They played well, but among five of them, no one could sing. Their intonation was so off it was almost painful (and my music teacher would be the first to tell you I have a very untrained ear). The complementary "Tres Leches" cake that Highland Park Cafeteria passed out during intermission really took the edge off. The best cake I've ever had. (And I've had cake!) All in all a very enjoyable evening, but if you ever get a chance in Dallas to go hear this band... PASS ... you'll thank me!

Carpenters Bluff Bridge

2009-07-27T07:41:00.000-07:00

Nice ride on Sunday morning up to Grayson county to see an old rail road bridge across the Red River.

Carpenter's Bluff (pop ca. 100) is located east of Denison on FM 120. The bridge can be found just north of the road as you enter the settlement. This impressively high bridge spans the Red River and links Grayson County to Bryan county, Oklahoma. Built in 1910, it was designed to allow trains, wagons, pedestrians, and horses to cross for a toll. In the 1960's, the bridge was deeded to Grayson County, which renovated it for automobile use. It's now a one-lane bridge with the old wooden walkway hugging it on one side.

The Kansas, Oklahoma and Gulf Railway constructed the bridge, and later it became property of the Texas and Pacific Railroad. The bridge became joint property of Grayson County, Texas and Bryan County, Oklahoma in 1966.

Bicycle ride in Blue Ridge Texas

2009-07-12T16:04:00.001-07:00

Texas is hot in July, there's just no getting around it. In order to go bicycling, you really need to start early to beat the heat. Today we went riding out in the country starting in Blue Ridge, TX. We started at 7am, which entailed getting up at 5am to make it. (Not that I'm complaining, some friends came from Tarrant county to join us and they got up even earlier.)

Blue Ridge is a small town, population around 800. It's in east Collin County. Our ride actually touched 4 counties: Collin, Hunt, Fannin and Grayson.

Although we've ridden this route many times before, we did have a couple of "interesting" stops... one at a historical monument for Skillet Lick (see photo), and another one at a small General Store in Trenton that had confusing business hours (see photo).

We really did manage to beat the heat and got done in time for lunch back in Blue Ridge. Their Cattleman Cafe makes a great hamburger (huge)!

The Vespa ET-4 rolls 11,000 miles

2009-07-10T12:44:00.001-07:00

It's hard to believe but my Vespa is now 5+ years old and through lots of commuting to work, the grocery store and around town errands, I rolled 11,000 miles on it yesterday. (The photo is me commuting to work one February during a rare Dallas snow day.) I've never had to do any repairs on it, other than scheduled maintenance.

Economical? Let's see... the Vespa gets 65 mpg. The Benz gets 23 mpg in town. That's a delta of 42 mpg savings... that's a savings of 262 gallons. Assuming an average fuel cost of $3.00 / gallon (they both use Super Premium), that's a savings of ... well only $786 over 5+ years.

Hmmmm.... I guess I do just ride it for fun and lifestyle after all. :-)

Shakespeare Texas Style

2009-07-09T23:29:00.000-07:00

Went with friends to see the Dallas Shakespeare Festival's production of "The Merry Wives of Windsor, TX". Despite the heat... the trick is to go on a weeknight (Thursday is the new Friday), and don't arrive until around 8pm (play starts at 8:15), as the sun is going down. It cools off nicely.

Most of our close friends are gourmets and oenophiles, so our picnics are great. This evening we had a great variety of cold salads, grilled figs, bleu cheese, fresh berries macerated in limoncello, and a great selection of wines (dry roses and a savignon blanc).

The production: a send up of Shakespeare's "The Merry Wives of Windsor" set in Texas in the mid 1960's. A total hoot with all references to geography appropriately substituted, as well as quite a few liberties taken to lifestyle references. It was really a great show.

Catch it if you can, it's only running about 2 more weeks.

http://www.shakespearedallas.org/productions/the-merry-wives-windsor-tx

Arkansas Epic Day 3: The Wet Return Home

2009-07-07T09:17:00.000-07:00

Well we were planning to rise early and "hit it" before 7am, however heavy rain that rolled in overnight lingered into the morning. It delayed our start somewhat, but we were kickstand up by 8am. We wanted to go through the Hot Springs National park on their short scenic road, however it was closed (even though the posted time showed an opening of 7am daily). Go figure.

We hit the trail on damp roads, and headed west toward Oklahoma. You'll notice few photos in this post, that's because it was raining the majority of the ride. It actually made the ride pleasant and cool. (Our riding gear held up to the task really well.)

We stopped for a breakfast buffet in Daisy Arkansas. This quaint roadstop featured a full sized Christmas tree alight in Red White and Blue lights and bunting. (There is no accounting for taste in these places.)

We did make one fast stop in Paris (Texas) to see the replica of the Eiffel Tower. (Who could resist such kitsch?)

Stopping in Bonham TX for a quick early afternoon lunch, we were informed by a local that there weren't many restraunt options, so we opted to dine at Pizza Hut. The teenage kid that served us couldn't quit gushing about our bikes, and how he would like a Ninja like mine, but how his mother wouldn't allow it.

We arrived at home despite the rain, scratch free and with big grins on our faces, having ridden 770 scenic miles over the course of 3 days. My bike held up really well, although in the hills and when passing cars on the highway, I was longing for more power. Maybe a bigger bike will come for Christmas... who's to say?

Trip to Arkansas - Day 2 - Mt. Magazine, Hot Springs

2009-07-04T13:55:00.000-07:00

The morning we were leaving Mena Arkansas, I got a terrific massage from our B&B host Tony. He's got a nice room set up with a table, oils, heating pads, the works! When you stay at the Cedar Rock B&B, be sure and plan time to get a massage. Breakfast was terrific, and we lingered over coffee.

We then hit the road and headed toward Mt. Magazine. The ride over was nice with rolling hills, sweeping turns. The best part is the 15 mile ascent up to Mt. Magazine. It's a fairly technical climb to the summit, with few turn outs, but when you reach the top you'll discover a wonderful state park, that boasts the highest peak in the state. Gorgeous views of the Petit Jean valley, many hiking trials, hang gliding points, and a recently rebuilt lodge await you. We had lunch at the lodge's restraunt which put on a July 4th buffet.

We had to cut our visit somewhat short, due to an approaching storm. The descent down the mountain is the same one road, and was just as much fun down as up. We beat out the storm and took highway 10 east to Scenic Route 7 and down to Hot Springs.

Scenic route 7 was an unexpected surprise. Fun riding with enough turns to keep things interesting.

We arrived at Hot Springs, toured bath house row on foot. Hot Springs was admitedly a disappointment. Sure it's the nation's oldest resort, but it looks like it could also take the nomination for the nation's least upkept or renovated resort. The hotels in the bath house district are incredibly old and need of major restoration. Restraunts were lacking and there was no night life or bars to speak of. Possibly we were in the wrong part of town and should have stayed near lake Hamilton. We did however enjoy a drink in the grotto of Rolando's Nuevo Latino Restaurante. Nice environment, with an accoustic guitar player / singer.

The Talimena Scenic Drive

2009-07-03T18:40:00.000-07:00

Day1: Kick stand up at 8am, departed our home in Plano Texas, headed to Oklahoma via US-75. My husband had bought me a gently used 2004 Kawasaki Ninja 250 as an anniversary gift back in May. After a few 200+ mile day trips around north Texas, I was ready for my first weekend tour: a trip up to Arkansas via the Talimena Scenic Drive.

We took a brief rest stop at the Oklahoma border and decided to modify our route to get off the highway and onto the Kiamichi Trace via Durant. This was a nice little find to get us over to the Talimena Scenic Byway, with no backtracking.

Just before getting onto the Talimena drive, we caught lunch in Talihina OK at Pam's Hateful Hussy diner.

What more can be said about Oklahoma road food other than it's cheap, plentiful, and won't kill you. During the first day of the trip I had to learn to interpret the local dialect. For example when ordering iced tea at a cafe, the waitress will invariably shoot back "Sweeter Uhn?". What she is asking is if you would like the Sweet Tea, or Unsweetened Tea (i.e. Sweet or "Un"-sweet). Unless would like to try your luck with type II diabetes, go with "Un" or at the most a blend of "half and half" which they will readily accomodate. (The Sweet Tea can be used as a syrup substitue if pressed.)

The catfish buffet at the Hateful Hussy hit the spot, and after a stop at the Talahina Liquor Store, we hit the road. (Liquor laws get squirly in Arkansas and many counties are dry, so be sure and do your research and necessary purchases ahead of time.)

The Talimena National Scenic Byway is a stretch of road that goes from south eastern Oklahoma and runs 54 miles east into Arkansas. It's great for motorcyclist (and bicyclists), and is very steep, twisty and scenic. It' has dozens of turnouts for vistas, so take your camera and take your time. You will be treated to spectacular views of the Ouchita national forrest.

At the end of the Talimena is Mena, Ark. We found a great B&B, the Cedar Rock. http://www.cedarrockbnb.com/ The hosts Tony and Debra were just great, and invited us to a Crawfish Boil they were hosting for July 4th. They have a beautiful 4 acre property, complete with pool and spa, which was just great after our 260 mile trip from Dallas.

The crawfish were fantastic, as was Debra's popovers. We also discovered that even though the county was dry the people were not. Tony keeps a party fridge in the pool cabana fully stocked for his guests. It was truly an evening to remember.

End of Day 1 was a great night's sleep at a B&B that truly exceeds expectations.